Hand Rolling Tubes

[Mephistos Minion]

Grettings all! As we all know very well, the basis of a good rocket/fountain/driver/salute/whistler/helicopter/etc is a good strong tube, prefferably parralell wound. You can buy these tubes from a supplier and save yourself some time, or you can spend approximatly 2.5c per tube and a bit of time to make your own rock solid parralell tubes.

 

In this tutorial I am making 1/2" ID tubes to fit the new BP rocket tooling I got for Christmas.

 

Here you can see all you need to roll your own tubes: Manilla folders, Scissors, PVA wood glue, A ruler, A pencil and a Wooden Dowel the desired ID of your tubes:

 

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/6275/allyouneed2nq.jpg

 

It is a good time saving idea when rolling tubes to mark all your paper with cutting lines before you cut any of them. It saves time to repeat the task many times at once than to switch between the task many times. Here you see a folder marked with lines for three 5" long 1/2" ID tubes and a strip 1/4" under 3-1/2" which I usually roll around a 3/4" dowel for salute casings:

 

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/1600/markitallfirst6ya.jpg

 

When rolling tubes it is important to have the paper as perpendicular to the dowel as you can, as shown in this photo:

 

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/2449/alignment2lt.jpg

 

Now you are ready to start rolling; the first turn of paper is done dry (without glue) then the glue is smeared on all over the rest of the paper as shown:

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8046/readytoroll0fl.jpg

 

The paper is then wound tightly around the dowel/itself, when you get to half way it is a good idea to stop and check that it is not telescoping out to the side (best to catch it now before it gets harder to at the end). Please note; rolling tubes and taking photos whilst trying not to get glue on the camera is hard, I don't reccomend it ) Here is the tube half way through rolling:

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/9769/halfwaythere9ku.jpg

 

When you get to the end the tube is slipped down to the end of the dowel, if the end is telescoped you can press it against the table to rectify this somewhat. The tube should then be slipped off the dowel and should have nice thick walls like the one in this photo:

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/112/thickwalls1ma.jpg

 

Here is a photo of some dry tubes on my bloody messy desk:

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7458/somedrytubes7xf.jpg

 

I hope that all you new members have learned something about rolling your own tubes today and I hope that the older members will also contribute something else to this section.

[Chaz]

Nice tutorial! There seems to be a problem though, when the thumbnails are clicked you just get redirected to the imageshack website, rather than a larger version of the image.

[Mephistos Minion]

I don't know why they do that... I usually use another host but ImageShack was suggested so I tried it. Ah well I hope the photos at their current size are ok.

[Guest Mark_the_pyro]

Thank you! I was just about to start a thread on good tube sources...

[Sason.net]

you can use also wheat past. but to make the tubes more stiff you need to put them in the oven for no more then 5-10 minuts

it works as good as wood glue

I am making my tubes on this way for a long time with wheat past and they are very hard and stiff

[Mumbles]

Thought you might enjoy this formula.

 

L=(pi)x(W/P)x(D+W)

 

L = Length of paper needed

W= Desired wall thickness

P = Paper thickness

D = ID of tube(aka the dowel diameter)

 

If you know the weight of paper (aka 35# paper), it is weight over 1000 for the thickness. So 35# paper would be .035" thick.

 

There is also a calculator, but it is entirely in mm. http://www.vk2zay.net/calculators/paperTube.php

[aquaman]

Last night I did a little experiment with different types of glue you can use to roll your own tubes. I tried Durham’s rock hard water putty, wood glue, mix of wood glue and Durham’s water putty, and gorilla glue.

 

Water putty- It sucked alone because it dries like instantly when it’s spread out thinly.

Wood glue- Nice hard tube and it wasn’t that messy.

Water putty & wood glue- Same as the wood glue and maybe a little stronger.

 

Gorilla Glue- This is the glue that won as the strongest tube I've made in my life. It’s probably like 3x as strong as the wood glue. It was also one of the messiest tubes I have ever rolled. It’s like super glue and I had it all over my hands and the counter in my kitchen. I was in a panic because I couldn’t find any soap/chemical to get it off until I found that a mix of Resolve and dish soap worked fine. So if you try gorilla glue first find a soap that will clean the glue up or you’re going to have a sticky hand situation.

[Swany]

You use water putty for endplugs, not for the tube glue, as far as I know. Rolling tubes with water putty would be nigh impossible.

 

I use gorilla glue to hold in my plastic endplugs in my tubes (both from Kilo G). It holds them in quite nicely.

[Mumbles]

Thinned PVA glue is not uncommon. It spreads easier, and dries just as fast. I usually use a core of manilla folders with an outside of kraft. I've had problems in the past with the manilla folders coming apart after rolling. The kraft stuck together better and held it in place. It made them look more legit too.

[dragonman586]

I make some fairly strong tubes by using pregummed kraft paper with fiberglass reinforcement as a core and kraft paper on the outside. Will post pics soon (camera batteries are dead )

[aquaman]

You use water putty for endplugs, not for the tube glue, as far as I know. Rolling tubes with water putty would be nigh impossible.

I thought if the water putty becomes hard as a rock for an end plug, why not use it for rolling the tubes and they'd become hard as a rock. But like I said the water putty can't be spread out thinly because it will dry to fast.

 

Right now I think I'm going to stick with wood glue or wheat paste. Yes, the gorilla glue gave me a very strong case but the mess took me forever to clean up (just for one tube). I'll probably only use gorilla glue for tubes when I need a very strong, lightweight tube.

[justanotherpyro]

That and Gorilla glue is really expensive. I think when it is all said and done, thinned wood glue wins the prize for a sturdy tube, while being still somewhat cost effective.

[Mumbles]

If you are serious about rolling your own tubes, investigate for wood glue by the gallon. It is about $13 I think. This kicks the hell out of the $3 or so for those 300mL containers of whatever they are. Elmers glue works well too. They are the same stuff really. Elmers just is modified to dry clear, and I think it is thinned a bit more.

[Swany]

Gorrilla glue is amazingly expensive, but I have the smallest size one can get, and have glued over 50 endplugs, and not even a dent has been made in the container. Just a little bubble at the top.

 

Now, rolling tubes with it, yes, that would use it up...

[moonshot]

I was using Elmers carpenters glue full strength and smearing it out with my fingers. Pretty messy. Now I use 2 parts glue to 1 part water and paint it on with a cheap bristle brush. Works much better and if you rinse the brush out well you can use it multiple times.

[ewest]

Skylighter had a tip a while back to dip your tubes in Minwax Wood Hardener. So I got some and poured it in a plastic Solo cup to dip the tubes into, big mistake because the wood hardener ate through the cup immediately and got all over my workbench. I guess I should have read what the stuff was made from before I did that, but oh well.

 

Next I poured it in a metal pan and dipped some tubes in it. I just dipped them quickly only leaving them in there for a few seconds. They don't shrink or unravel or anything and it does seem to make them much strong.

 

I haven't tried pressing any rockets in them yet so I can't vouch for how good it really works. Just thought I'd offer the tip, buyer beware.

[h&k machineguns]

I found this searching for the same topic before finding this threat.

I have a bunch of paper left from Home depot that's used for taping off floors for painting. I don't know what craft paper is,but I assume it's just like this stuff.Anyone use this type of paper before ?

 

http://www.jamesyawn.com/modelrocket/bodytubes/index.html

[Frozentech]

I found this searching for the same topic before finding this threat.

I have a bunch of paper left from Home depot that's used for taping off floors for painting. I don't know what craft paper is,but I assume it's just like this stuff.Anyone use this type of paper before ?

 

http://www.jamesyawn.com/modelrocket/bodytubes/index.html

One thing to watch out for if you use posterboard or manila file folder paper to roll tubes : sand down the end of the paper that will form the inside edge of the roll, so that it is 'tapered' and does not have that sharp step at the end of the sheet, which could easily form a void in your fuel grain and lead to catos.

 

If you are describing the paper I think you are from Home Depot, it is 30# recycled kraft paper. A little thin for rolling tubes, but it makes great paste wrap on canister shells, or outer layer on pasted ball shells. Also great for making quickmatch piping.

[h&k machineguns]

I found this searching for the same topic before finding this threat.

I have a bunch of paper left from Home depot that's used for taping off floors for painting. I don't know what craft paper is,but I assume it's just like this stuff.Anyone use this type of paper before ?

 

http://www.jamesyawn.com/modelrocket/bodytubes/index.html

One thing to watch out for if you use posterboard or manila file folder paper to roll tubes : sand down the end of the paper that will form the inside edge of the roll, so that it is 'tapered' and does not have that sharp step at the end of the sheet, which could easily form a void in your fuel grain and lead to catos.

 

If you are describing the paper I think you are from Home Depot, it is 30# recycled kraft paper. A little thin for rolling tubes, but it makes great paste wrap on canister shells, or outer layer on pasted ball shells. Also great for making quickmatch piping.

the paper from Home Depot that I have is the color of a paper bag that they sometimes have at the grocery stores. The thickness is about the same also.

[Ozzy]

I found this searching for the same topic before finding this threat.

I have a bunch of paper left from Home depot that's used for taping off floors for painting. I don't know what craft paper is,but I assume it's just like this stuff.Anyone use this type of paper before ?

 

http://www.jamesyawn.com/modelrocket/bodytubes/index.html

One thing to watch out for if you use posterboard or manila file folder paper to roll tubes : sand down the end of the paper that will form the inside edge of the roll, so that it is 'tapered' and does not have that sharp step at the end of the sheet, which could easily form a void in your fuel grain and lead to catos.

 

If you are describing the paper I think you are from Home Depot, it is 30# recycled kraft paper. A little thin for rolling tubes, but it makes great paste wrap on canister shells, or outer layer on pasted ball shells. Also great for making quickmatch piping.

the paper from Home Depot that I have is the color of a paper bag that they sometimes have at the grocery stores. The thickness is about the same also.

Is it in like a 3-4ft roll brown paper cause if it is thats what i used to roll my own.

[h&k machineguns]

I found this searching for the same topic before finding this threat.

I have a bunch of paper left from Home depot that's used for taping off floors for painting. I don't know what craft paper is,but I assume it's just like this stuff.Anyone use this type of paper before ?

 

http://www.jamesyawn.com/modelrocket/bodytubes/index.html

One thing to watch out for if you use posterboard or manila file folder paper to roll tubes : sand down the end of the paper that will form the inside edge of the roll, so that it is 'tapered' and does not have that sharp step at the end of the sheet, which could easily form a void in your fuel grain and lead to catos.

 

If you are describing the paper I think you are from Home Depot, it is 30# recycled kraft paper. A little thin for rolling tubes, but it makes great paste wrap on canister shells, or outer layer on pasted ball shells. Also great for making quickmatch piping.

the paper from Home Depot that I have is the color of a paper bag that they sometimes have at the grocery stores. The thickness is about the same also.

Is it in like a 3-4ft roll brown paper cause if it is thats what i used to roll my own.

3 foot is correct.

[oriansbelt]

Has anyone used tubes made with Tyvec(the stuff they put on houses under the siding), it has threads in it so it is really hard to tear plus it is fairly light weight and thin. I think it might be some type of plastic so I don't know how well it would work for rocket engines but I made some with Gorrilla and wood glue that are drying now just to see how they would turn out.

[h&k machineguns]

Has anyone used tubes made with Tyvec(the stuff they put on houses under the siding), it has threads in it so it is really hard to tear plus it is fairly light weight and thin. I think it might be some type of plastic so I don't know how well it would work for rocket engines but I made some with Gorrilla and wood glue that are drying now just to see how they would turn out.

Good idea. It would make since to try some. Someone should try it out and report back. The tube would look cool being black also.

[oriansbelt]

the stuff I have it white but that shouldn't matter, the tubes I made with wood glue are pretty hard but not quite rock hard, still they are good for only 1/8" walls. the one with gorrilla was slightly harder but still not quite rock hard but they are both very close. I think I'll have to make salutes with them or somthing to see how much better they are than just normal paper but if some one has a better way to test strength please post it.

[pa_pyro]

When I roll my tubes I use spray adhesive. Although the tubes aren't as hard as those made with wood glue, they dry very quickly so you dont have to make them the day before, and it is a lot less messy.